Telethon
"Telethon" is the twenty-second episode of season 2 of the NBC television series Parks and Recreation. It originally aired on May 6, 2010 to 4.03 million viewers. Storyline Leslie Knope has volunteered to work on the 24-hour "Pawnee Cares" diabetes telethon and orders everyone in the office to work the phones for multiple shifts. Tom Haverford is assigned to pick up retired basketball player Detlef Schrempf from the airport, the special guest for the telethon. Leslie is excited because she has been allowed to program her own four-hour block, but her co-workers are not impressed to find out it runs from 2 a.m. to 6 a.m. Additionally, she has already been up for 24 hours creating T-shirts for her staff to wear for the telethon. Later, during lunch, Mark Brendanawicz tells Leslie that he is going to propose to Ann Perkins. Already exhausted, Leslie informs Ann she plans on staying awake by consuming Sweetums NutriYum Bars. After picking up Schrempf from the airport, Tom takes him to The Snakehole Lounge, but when Tom informs the owner, Freddy, that he needs to take Schrempf to the telethon, Freddy refuses as Schrempf is bringing a lot of business. This delays Leslie's big headliner, so she is forced to have Andy Dwyer's band, Mouse Rat, be the headline act. After the band perform all of their songs, Ron Swanson volunteers to demonstrate how to cane a chair, but his presentation is so boring that the telethon actually starts to lose money. Desperate for something to put on, Leslie tells Mark that he should propose to Ann in front of the camera and he agrees. Not long after, however, Ann confides in Leslie that she wants to break up with Mark, citing that he is simply not the one. Meanwhile, April Ludgate tries to make Andy jealous by flirting with someone over the phone, but it backfires when it turns out to be Joe Fantringham from the Pawnee Sewage Department. Andy is forced to kick Joe out of the studio when he actually arrives to bring April to his van. The telethon's talent pool becomes so low that Leslie is forced to flip a coin in front of the camera and talk about her favorite episodes of Friends. Jerry Gergich is allowed to play the piano, but everyone dismisses his skilled playing as a racket. Mark finally returns to propose and walks on the set with the ring, but Leslie stops him by mooning the camera. Detlef Schrempf and Tom finally arrive at the end of Leslie's programming block. Schrempf presents a check for $5,000, allowing the telethon to bypass its $20,000 mark. Despite being awake for two days straight, Leslie goes to Ann's house to talk with her about Mark. However, she quickly passes out on Ann's couch and stays asleep for over 22 hours. Quotes Leslie: Every year, Pawnee Cares teams up with the local cable access station to raise money for diabetes research. And it's important because Pawnee is the fourth fattest town in the U.S. It goes us, Dallas, Tulsa and certain parts of the Mall of America. Ron: I am only here because I owe Leslie a thousand favors. I'm not big on charities. Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Don’t teach a man to fish, and you feed yourself. He’s a grown man. Fishing’s not that hard. Leslie: My nana, she used to say the best stuff. Don't work yourself into a lather. Look where it is and you'll find it. Don't put me in a home. Tell the truth and shame the devil. The devil knows where you're hiding. If you take enough rides with the devil pretty soon he's going to drive. She was really into the devil. Ron: I suffer from a disorder called Sleep Fighting. Leslie: Wow, must be terrible. Ron: Only when I'm losing. Leslie: I just got to tell you I'm a little tired, so I may have parked on your front lawn.